The maximum capacity of the Mexico City International Airport (AICM) was calculated by Servicios a la Navegación en el Espacio Aéreo Mexicano (Seneam) with a maximum limit of 49 operations per hour in optimal flight conditions, that is, with good visibility. both day and night and without any meteorological phenomenon that could affect them, according to the document “Analysis of the Index of arrivals and departures of the AICM”, delivered to the Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation (SICT).
According to the study, dated April of this year and of which A21 has a copy, based on aircraft runway occupancy times, Seneam analysts determined 44 operations per hour in marginal conditions, that is, when there is visibility limited by some meteorological phenomenon, such as the height of the clouds, rain, wind shears or even a fire or dust storm.
Likewise, they declared a limit of 38 operations when only instruments can be operated due to zero or reduced visibility conditions.
This was determined after sampling 6,050 records of both departures (3,600) and arrivals (2,450) on runways 05’s and 23’s, under wet runway conditions, medium braking, crosswind and with a closed runway. . With these numbers taken from the operations “from the beginning of April”, added “to those collected in 2019”, Seneam determined and added the runway occupation time, plus the travel time until it was vacated both in takeoffs and landings.
“Since the marginal conditions and zero visibility are not predictable (SIC), when it is the case that they occur, the traffic acceptance regimes are reduced. It is the responsibility of the airport authorities that, together with the airlines, generate agreements to reduce the number of operations”, states the document.
Decree in the making
Seneam intends that this analysis serve as a basis for the drafting of the Decree that limits the AICM to a maximum of 50 operations per hour, although some specialists considered that the assumptions that it takes into account do not correspond to the applicable technical criteria and are outdated, in addition to the fact that it takes into account a very controversial sample.
Recently, the undersecretary of transportation, Rogelio Jiménez Pons, declared at an event celebrating Air France’s 70th anniversary that the SICT is going to publish a decree to eliminate around 11 arrivals and 11 departures from the AICM.
According to the document, the Federal Civil Aviation Agency, the AICM and “representatives of operators and exploiters” participated in this analysis, without mentioning who they are.
In high season and peak hours, the AICM has recorded up to 85 operations per hour. The director of the National Chamber of Air Transport declared that the proposed reduction would be problematic for the airlines.